Church Times Blogwww.churchtimes.co.uk/blog_home.asp?id=50222
en-gbChurch Times, http://www.churchtimes.co.ukChurchTimesBloghttps://feedburner.google.comThe opening of General Synod and the disciplining of the Bishop of WillesdenTue, 23 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

The ninth General Synod of the Church of England opened this morning with a service in Westeminster Abbey attended by the Queen.

The event (in the press room at least)&nbsp;was somewhat overshadowed by a&nbsp;statement from the Bishop of London regarding the Bishop of Willesden:

"Dear Colleague,

"I was appalled by the Bishop of Willesden’s comments about the forthcoming royal marriage. In common with most of the country I share the joy which the news of the engagement has brought.

"I have now had an opportunity to discuss with Bishop Peter how his comments came to be made and I have noted his unreserved apology. Nevertheless, I have asked him to withdraw from public ministry until further notice. I have also been in touch with St James’s Palace to express my own dismay on behalf of the Church.

"Arrangements will need to be made in Bishop Peter’s absence and further details will be given in due course.

"With thanks for your partnership in the Gospel."

There is some confusion about whether this amounts to a 'suspension'. The concensus&nbsp;seems to be that in ecclesiastical terms it isn't, but in secular terms it amounts to the same thing and that will be the term that many press reports will be using.

Further coverage of the afternoon's debates, including the main item on 'The Big Society' in Friday's Church Times.

]]>http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/104395
Church Times on Twitter and FacebookFri, 29 Oct 2010 16:40:00 +0000

We've made some changes to the way the Church Times appears on Twitter. The @churchtimes account will now be used for news updates and other Church Times content, whilst the existing&nbsp;@churchtimesblog account will continue to be used for blog posts and to post other links of interest.

There is now a Church Times page on Facebook too. Links to news stories and other articles will be posted, although with fewer updates than on Twitter as the consensus seems to be that transferring all Twitter posts over the Facebook can be too much of a good thing. Do let us know your opinion&nbsp;in the comments below, or&nbsp;via one of the aforementioned sites.

THOSE fortunate enough to have tickets began lining up at the top of Great Smith Street before three o’clock, ensuring that they obtained a decent spot in Westminster Abbey for evening prayer, and to witness the first Pope to enter the Collegiate Church of St Peter in Westminster.

With registration by surname and airport-style security checks (including a request for a recent utility bill), they had a long wait. Not that the mixture of smartly dressed laypeople and clergy from across a variety of denominations seemed to mind. They hardly seemed to notice the handful of anti-Catholic proselytisers, distributing tracts across the other side of Victoria Street, and parading banners.

Once seated, they were able to watch the Pope’s journey from Lambeth Palace to Westminster Hall, and his speech to distinguished public figures, relayed via plasma screens in the Abbey. The congregation greeted his speech with enthusiastic applause.

The Popemobile arrived at the front entrance of the Abbey in what seemed like little time, the earlier clouds having made way for early evening sun. The Pope, with the Archbishop of Canterbury at his side, was greeted at the entrance by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Revd Dr John Hall, who paused briefly to point out the 12 Martyrs carved above the Abbey’s entrance.

Dr Hall then welcomed Benedict “most warmly as the first Pope to visit the Church dedicated to St Peter” which, “for 600 years as a Benedictine Abbey, until the English Reformation, enjoyed a close relationship of mutual support with the papacy”.

After retiring to the Jericho Parlour to vest, during which the Abbey’s choir sang, the Pope said a prayer, before being introduced to leaders of the Churches of the British Isles, who included the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Revd John Christie, and the President of the Methodist Council, the Revd Alison Tomlin.

The collegiate procession, together with the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury, moved to places in the Abbey Quire and Sacrarium as the hymn “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation” was sung.

Once seated, Dr Williams welcomed the Pope “on behalf of all Christian communities of Great Britain . . . in fraternal love to this great shrine, which has been of such significance for both Church and nation”. Pope Benedict thanked Dr Williams for his welcome and said that “this noble edifice evokes England’s long history, so deeply marked by the preaching of the Gospel and the Christian culture to which it gave birth”.

The Archbishop then introduced the Peace, warmly embracing the pontiff. The cardinals and bishops seated to each side followed suit, with hearty handshakes.

A reading from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 2, verse 5-11 followed, read by the President of the World Council of Churches, Dame Mary Tanner. The reading spoke of Christ’s emptying of himself, even to death, but subsequent exaltation.

The congregation then stood to sing the Charles Wesley hymn “O thou who camest from above”, after which the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Revd John Christie, read from the Gospel of St Mark, chapter 10, verses 35-45, which included Christ’s declaration that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”.

The Archbishop and the Pope then venerated the St Augustine Gospels, after which they each gave short addresses. The Pope said the historic occasion was a reminder “that what we share in Christ is greater than what continues to divide us” and that there is a continual challenge “to present the risen Lord as the deepest response the questions of our time”.

The pontiff’s gentle delivery was not entirely in keeping with his robust language: “It is the word of God precisely because it is the true word. It leads us into obedience that must be free of intellectual compromise and accommodation to the spirit of this age.”

Dr Williams, in his address, spoke of the way “in our society we can see the dehumanising effects of losing St Benedict’s vision”, such as people devoting themselves to work at the expense of relationship, and the worthlessness felt by many who had been made unemployed.

Prayers were led by six different Anglican and Catholic representatives, both clerical and lay, including the Canon of Westminster, the Revd Dr Jane Hedges, and the secretary to the Church of England Youth Council, Leah Wagstaff.

After a collect sung by the Minor Canon of Westminster, the Revd Michael Macey, and the saying of the Lord’s Prayer, a seminal moment was marked when the Pope and Archbishop moved to the Shrine of Edward the Confessor to offer prayers. The Archbishop prayed for blessing on “all who witness to the gospel’s call in the public life of our countries”; the Pope prayed that God would “heal the divisions among Christians”.

The congregation then stood to sing “All my hope on God is founded”, followed by the blessing, spoken simultaneously by the Pope and Archbishop. As the Pope, helped by one of his aides, navigated the steps down out of the Sacrarium, the congregation broke into spontaneous applause.

IN a historic meeting on Friday, Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to visit Lambeth Palace. There he addressed the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, as well as diocesan bishops from the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope was greeted with a warm round of applause in the Great Hall of the Archbishop’s Library at Lambeth Palace.

After an opening prayer, the Archbishop of Canterbury “recalled with great gratitude” the improved relations between the two churches during the past 50 years.

In his short address, Dr Williams urged the bishops present to be ready to “respond to the various trends in our cultural environment that seek to present Christian faith as both an obstacle to human freedom and a scandal to human intellect”.

They “needed to be clear that the gospel of the new creation in Jesus Christ is the door through which we enter into true liberty and true understanding”.

Dr Williams said neither Church sought “political power or control, or the dominance of the Christian faith in the public sphere; but the opportunity to testify, to argue, sometimes to protest, sometimes to affirm — to play our part in the public debates of our societies”.

In response Pope Benedict gave thanks for the “remarkable progress” on unity and mission that had been made between the two Churches through the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) in the past 40 years.

He acknowledged that the “increasingly multicultural dimension of society, particularly marked in this country, brings with it the opportunity to encounter other religions”.

He said this was an opportunity for witness, and that “Christians must never hesitate to proclaim our faith in the uniqueness of the salvation won for us by Christ.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope then exchanged gifts, before the Pope led the bishops in the Lord’s Prayer, and concluded with the Grace.

The Archbishop of Canterbury gave the Pope a leather-bound diptych of facsimile full-page illuminations from the Lambeth Bible, which dates from the 12th century. The Pope gave Dr Williams a copy of the Codex Pauli, a finely bound copy of a newly illustrated text of all Paul’s letters in Greek.

The Pope then was welcomed into the home of Dr Williams and his wife Jane for a private discussion.

A communiqué released after the meeting said the two leaders addressed issues of mutual concern for Anglicans and Roman Catholics, affirming “the need to proclaim the gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ, both in a reasoned and convincing way in the contemporary context of profound cultural and social transformation”.

They also reflected together on the “serious and difficult situation of Christians in the Middle East”, and called for prayer for Christians in the Holy Land.

The Archbishop of York said the visit of the Pope was a “wonderful thing” and offered an opportunity for dialogue.

Dr Sentamu called for a spirit of “gracious magnanimity” towards the Pope from the British people, and praised Pope Benedict for his comments on aggressive secularism: “I’ve been at it for a long time now so I’m very pleased he said something on it.”

The Bishop of Lincoln, Dr John Saxbee welcomed the Pope’s visit, which he said was an excellent opportunity for the two Communions to encounter each other “face to face” and learn from one another.

The Bishop of Sodor &amp; Man, the Rt Revd Robert Paterson, said the Pope’s visit was “a great occasion to welcome a fellow bishop and leader from another Christian tradition”.

As he left Lambeth Palace for Westminster the Pope was greeted by supporters and protesters. About 100 women from the Catholic Women’s Ordination Group, supported by members of the Women and the Church (WATCH), held placards and banners.

The Revd Jean Mayland, a retired priest from Hexham, said she was reciprocating the support Anglican women had received in the past from Roman Catholics when they were campaigning for ordination in the Church of England. She said the Lambeth event had been dominated by the male élite of the Church of England.

The Human-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was also there for a while, along with other campaigners for victims of child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.

The Revd Kevin Annett, a non-denominational minister from Canada, and part of Hidden From History group, said they were calling for the Pope to “stop protecting child rapists in the Church”. It plans to issue a summons for Pope Benedict to appear before an international tribunal in London next year, answering “charges of his complicity in crimes against humanity”.

The crowds outside had an international flavour. Roberto Duevara, 35, a Roman Catholic from Mexico now living in London, said “it was very symbolic to see the Pope”, and that he was delighted the pontiff was in the UK, but acknowledged many people did not welcome him.

Ian Luke-Macauley, an Anglican from St Mark’s, Kennington, said he simply wanted to take a photograph of the Pope, who he believed was an important figure in Christianity.

RELIGION has a key place in the foundations of a state, the Pope said on Friday afternoon.

In what was the key speech of his visit, delivered in Westminster Hall — what John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, told Pope Benedict was the “heart of our democratic tradition” — the Pope acknowledged the privilege being afforded to him in his invitation to speak to parliamentarians, diplomats, and members of civil society. He praised Britain’s “profound influence on the development of participative government among the nations”.

But from praise he moved on to a challenge: democracy alone was not a sufficient grounding for action: “If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident — herein lies the real challenge for democracy.”

He will have won supporters for the example he chose of “the inadequacy of pragmatic, short-term solutions to complex social and ethical problems”: the global financial crisis.

He asked where the ethical foundations of a state were to be found, and placed the in the interplay between reason and religion. In the Catholic tradition, he said, religion did not so much supply the norms governing right action — they could be known to non-believers. Still less did it propose concrete political solutions.

Instead, religion provided a corrective, “to help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles”.

In order to do this, religion itself had to be subjected to reason. “This “corrective” role of religion vis-à-vis reason is not always welcomed, though, partly because distorted forms of religion, such as sectarianism and fundamentalism, can be seen to create serious social problems themselves. And in their turn, these distortions of religion arise when insufficient attention is given to the purifying and structuring role of reason within religion. It is a two-way process.

“Without the corrective supplied by religion, though, reason, too, can fall prey to distortions, as when it is manipulated by ideology, or applied in a partial way that fails to take full account of the dignity of the human person.”

Religion, then, was “not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation”. Here, the Pope spoke again about the marginalisation of religion as he saw it in British society, supplying the tabloid newspapers with their headline by defending Christmas: “There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none.”

The Pope’s speech was well received. Sustained applause followed him as he rose from the dais, pausing briefly to greet Nick Clegg, standing in for David Cameron, and past prime ministers and their wives, then walked slowly the length of Westminster Hall to depart for evening prayer at Westminster Abbey.